


A Swan, a Kid, and a Plant

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, Tag to s16 ep19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 21:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18416114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: Gibbs and Tim talk in Gibbs' basement as Gibbs tries to figure out what's going on with his team. Tim has secrets that he hopes his boss won't uncover. Tag to Season 16, episode 19 "Perennial."





	A Swan, a Kid, and a Plant

A Swan, a Kid, and a Plant  
 _Tag to S16, ep19, “Perennial.” Gibbs is not quite sure what to make of the team and their revelations. Tim, the “level-headed” one still has secrets._

“Tim, I got one with a swan, one with a kid, and one with a plant. You’ve always been level-headed; stay that way.” Gibbs looked at his SFA, the one constant on his team, or so it seemed these days. Nick was an enigma; the angry swan analogy adding to the giant question mark that was Nick Torres. Jack tugged at his heart, with her daughter that she gave up for adoption hours after birth. Just when he made headway with her, she seemed to take five steps backwards. And then there was Bishop with that damned plant; a dead plant at that. What was the attachment to it and why? Bishop’s cryptic conversation with him at Washington General was not about the plant, yet about the damned plant.

Tim listened as Gibbs came the closest to showing raw emotion that the younger man had ever seen in sixteen years on the MCRT. The guy had burned one of his rules, and now seemed to be emotional about it. ‘Never get personally involved in a case.’ Rule 10 had come into play so many times over the years and now Gibbs was throwing it out the window. Tim thought about everything that had happened in the past two months. He had most certainly thrown rule 10 out the minute he had been a confidante for his two best friends two and one half years ago.

Wait, was Gibbs fishing to see what Tim knew? Tim concentrated on the words coming from Gibbs. ‘Oh, please, don’t let me show anything,’ Tim thought. There’s a reason Gibbs doesn’t know the secret that Tim does. Tony and Ziva had reasoned that once Gibbs knew, he would do anything and everything to protect them. However, that same concern would almost surely draw attention their way; attention that they did not need or want at the moment. If Gibbs found out that the long reach of Eli David was still haunting Ziva, and by extension Tony and their children, he would go into Papa Bear mode. Tim knew the only positive aspect of the world of Eli David had been the considerable inheritance he had left for his surviving child; large enough to allow her to live off the grid with her family.

“Tim, what do you make of Bishop and that plant? She said it came from Ziva’s office.” Tim had figured that out when Ellie carried the plant into the bullpen and placed it on her desk; he knew immediately that the plant had been in Ziva’s secret office, but kept quiet about it. Now he had to say something in response to Gibbs’ question.

“I don’t know, Boss. I mean about Bishop. Yes, the plant is the one that was in Z… the shack, but why Bishop has it, I don’t know,” Tim really did not know why Ellie had the dead plant. He surprised himself when he couldn’t say Ziva’s name just now; did Gibbs pick up on his hesitation? He hoped not.

Gibbs made eye contact with his SFA; “You’d tell me if there was something important that I need to know?”

Tim tried not to react, tried not to show anything that Gibbs could read as a tell. “Yes, Boss; if I could, yes.” Gibbs stared at McGee; he opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but closed it again. Tim held the gaze; he hated that he seemed to be getting good at lying by omission to his boss. But the reason was a damned good one; the safety of his best friends and their family depended on his silence. 

“Good, Tim, good…” Gibbs turned back to the boat. “Thanks.”


End file.
